The Nightmare Child
by Promethean64
Summary: A Short(ish) story set during the mostly unchronicled era of the Time War. When a dalek fleet led by Davros himself threatens the Gates of Elysium, the War Doctor leads a strike team to prevent them. However, once there they discover a far greater threat that threatens to obliterate an entire constellation. I do not own Doctor who or the characters or locations depicted.
1. Chapter 1

The Nightmare Child

The Last Great Time War.

The single greatest conflict to ever blemish the universe, simultaneously existing throughout all of time and yet none of it.

Most of the species that inhabited the universe were unaware of the war, with only species of higher existence capable of observing the scarring upon the universe. Lesser civilisations remained oblivious to the conflict threatening to collapse time itself.

Those species that were involved, with the exception of the time lords, couldn't comprehend a sense of chronological progression in the war, such was the immensity of it, but in the general consensus it was still the first year of the war.

The doctor, however, had been fighting it for decades.

Not that he called himself that.

He'd long since abandoned that name, abandoned it in the knowledge of what he knew in his hearts would be necessary to end this war.

He was fighting at the Gates of Elysium, the chrono barrier that surrounded the system of Kasterborous. Despite the fleets of daleks, the relentless attacks of the horde of travesties, and bombardments from the armies of the Neverwere, the armies of Gallifrey were holding out.

That was, until the day of the Nightmare child.

"EXTERMINA-"

The dalek exploded, bronze casing exploding outwards in a flash. Past the smoking remains stepped the man known to the Time Lords now only as the Renegade. He shifted his Schism rifle into the crook of his arm as adjusted the scarf around his neck. His faded leather jacket flurried as he moved quickly down the corridor, out to the battlements from where the dalek had come.

He looked up at the fleets assembled above him. Dalek saucers were slowly shifting towards Elysium 18-T, the station upon which the time lord was stationed. As he watched, battle tardises flew overhead, launching antimatter strikes into the saucers. Good. The situation up there would be resolved shortly, attacks of this magnitude rarely made serious damage to the stations. The daleks inside however, still posed a threat. He moved back into the station, now moving at a run. He encountered no daleks on his way, and minutes later ran into the command centre. Soldiers passed him, whilst other time lords manned terminal stations, directing the defence systems protecting the station from orbital bombardment. Yelling orders was a Time Lord the Renegade knew only as The Commander. His face was flushed, his slick black hair drawn back and his face concerned.

"What troubles you?" The Renegade said as he approached him, picking up on his mood.

The commander glanced at him before gesturing down at a terminal before him. He looked down, scanning the screen quickly.

"A dalek fleet, yes I've seen it myself. Relax, soldier, it's nothing formidi-"

"It's not that, it's who's leading it." The Renegade was shocked to see genuine fear on the commanders face. "It's Davros."

The Renegade burst into the hanger, passing the battle tardises lined up in favour of his own Tardis, tucked neatly away in a corner as it had been since his arrival at the station. Following him into the console room were several cadets, the only soldiers he could find on his sprint down to the bay. He immediately started setting the destination, a station located far from the Gates of Elysium, out of orbit. Just a few miles from this station was the inbound fleet.

As he finished setting coordinates, one of the cadets caught his glance. "You're the Doctor. Aren't you?"

The Renegade stiffened. "No. Not anymore." he responded gruffly.

The cadet watched him in awe. "I've heard stories about you. The destroyer of Skaro, the oncoming storm-"

"Not anymore." The Renegade reiterated. The cadet fell silent, but his gaze remained on the aged Time Lord.

The Tardis shuddered as it materialised on the station. The Renegade flipped a few more switches before gesturing for the soldiers to follow him as he moved towards the door. "Stay alert. You all know why this station was abandoned."

"Then why are we here?" One of the cadets muttered.

"Because if that fleet gets any closer, we risk losing not only the station but the entire defence line. The fleet is being commanded by the creator of the daleks himself."

The silence following his words was palpable.

The room beyond the doors of the Tardis resembled Gallifreyan architecture, but showed its age in the outdated stylised curves, in the olden style of the terminals mounted in the walls. This was a station abandoned in the first days of the war. It now served only as a data relay, and as a scanner, utilising the long-range controlled sensors onboard.

The Time Lords moved slowly into the room, the Renegade leading the way, his Schism rifle raised. The last soldier closed the door, and the Renegade gestured them to follow, moving down a side hallway.

They moved swiftly, following signs directing them to the outer observation platform. Down one hall, took a right, then a left, across a bridge spanning a maintenance rift. The cadet at the back of the group nervously passed their cargo between his hands: an advanced form of target designator, which would allow them to mark the dalek fleet for a battle Tardis strike. As the station they were on would display no technological or temporal signatures, the fleet would ignore it, making it a strategic vantage point.

The Renegade's eyes flicked back up to the soldier holding the designator. Young, most likely between 100 and 200 years of age, in his second incarnation at a guess. Maybe entrusting the device to him had been a mistake.

The Renegade was ripped from his reverie by a form dropping from the ceiling above him. The grand architecture of his people saved him; the elevated ceiling gave him time to move back as the shape sliced at where he had been just before. The Time Lords behind him opened fire, Schism pulses firing towards the shape, yet none found purchase. The creature leapt up, swung from the ceiling and sent a heavy blow to the front soldier, who went spiralling into the wall. It then jumped the rest of the group, vanishing into the darkness behind them.

The Renegade lay on the cold floor of the station, catching his breath before getting to his feet wearily. The soldier who had been struck was being helped to his feet by the others, and he seemed relatively unharmed.

"What in Rassilon's name _was _that thing?" One asked.

The Renegade sighed. "That, soldier, was one of the Skaro degredations."

As they proceeded forwards, still on alert for more attacks, the Renegade explained the history of the Degredations. Remnants from a bygone age, they were all that remained of the original Kaled form. The original daleks. Those who had not been converted into the chilling machines known as Daleks had been left as weakened, mutated versions of their original forms back on Skaro. In the early days of the time war, they'd been repurposed; genetically engineered and augmented with technology to create terrifying cyborg-like abominations that served as dalek strike units. The station they were on had been overrun by Daleks, but it seemed that instead of stationing actual Daleks there they'd simply infested the station with Degredations.

They approached the observation platform, and they exchanged glances before slowly entering the room. Their hesitance paid off; the entranceway to the observation platform was occupied by no less than 8 Degradations. The Time Lords opened fire, Schism pulses tearing into the unaware creatures. Three were obliterated instantly, grey flesh and rusted metal flying all over the room. The other moved immediately, leaping towards the soldiers. The Renegade dove into the room, catching another with his shots and turning away to avoid the explosion of flesh. The other 4 Degradations landed in between him and the other Time Lords. The room erupted into a mess of slicing and Schism pulses. He shot at two, his shots just missing their marks, and moved back to avoid the swings of the nearest foe. He heard yells from the others, and put all his concentration into the form in front of him. The Degradation leapt at him, knocking him back. He rolled back, onto one knee and fired a pulse that severed the left arm of the creature. It reared its head back and screeched, and he fired another shot into its chest. The Degradation exploded, and he moved to engage the other ones.

One of the remaining three had already been downed, but the other two were leaping erratically, narrowly avoiding shots. Then one moved like lightning - and sliced cleanly through the youngest cadet. He gasped as the blade of an arm severed his internal organs. The Degradation kept moving, leaping away as the young Time Lord started to emit yellow light, his hands releasing a gaseous form as his regeneration began. But just as the explosive regeneration began, the Degradation leapt in, and before the other soldiers could stop it, stabbed the regenerating Time Lord. A shockwave of energy shot out, obliterating the Degradation, and the cadet fell to the floor. The final Degradation was caught off guard, and shots from the Renegade and another cadet sent it back to the dust.

The Time Lords moved towards their fallen comrade, but all knew it was far too late. The Renegade shook his head regretfully. Too many. Too many had been lost to this accursed war.

No more.

He turned away and walked towards the outer platform. Stepping out onto the rusted metal platform, he looked up to where the fleet of unmistakable Dalek saucers were making rapid speed. Soon they would pass the station and move for Elysium 18-T. The Renegade glanced over his shoulder to see the other soldiers passing onto the platform. The one closest passed the designator device to him, and he levelled it at the oncoming fleet. Seconds passed as he slowed his breathing, prepared to fire, and-

A wave of pure sound hit the group, sending the Renegade reeling backwards, gripping the railing for support. Behind him the other Time Lords had fallen to the floor. The sound was nearly incoherent, yet could be identified as a primal, animalistic roar.

Behind the Dalek fleet, space shifted. Yet it wasn't space. A form, a behemoth that blotted out the constellations behind it, was moving. Towards the Dalek fleet.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Tarthrus, Final planet of the Destitude colonies._

_4 months ago, standardised relative time._

He stood on the edge of a large precipice, overlooking the red desert before him. Encampments littered the land, campfires shining out across the night. Chanting filled the air; a guttural, lifeless sound emanating from all around him. Figures rocked back and forth around the fires, their voices trailing into the air.

He heard a figure move up to stand by him.

"It draws near. Not long now."

He nodded his agreement. Before him, the efforts of a thousand lifetimes were coming together.

A tremor rippled over the landscape, the chanting only minimally faltering before rising to new heights.

The voice from behind spoke again. "You should be down there, adding your energy to the multitude."

He shook his head. "That little that I still possess, I would use to observe this final sacrifice."

As he spoke, further tremors shook the ground beneath their feet. Grinding echoed across the land, as the planet of Tarthrus crumbled and collapsed. The two on the precipice simply smiled as a final tremor destroyed the ground beneath their feet, as the planet was obliterated by the psionic force. And from its core, something emerged. Slowly at first, moving its gargantuan form out into space, moving away from the ruins of its birthplace, its mind filled with the thoughts and memories of the species that had driven itself extinct in this final sacrifice. It had its goal, and a name, scattered in its mind.

The Nightmare Child.

_Abandoned data relay, near Elysium 18-T._

_Present day, standardised relative time._

The Renegade struggled to hold onto the railing as the roar echoed away. The shape was now clearly moving, towards the general direction of Elysium 18-T. But in front of it lay the Dalek fleet.

The fleet in question had by now opened fire, laser fire lighting up the vacuum as volley after volley hit the behemoth shape. If the shots were noticed by the shape, it gave no indication, as it kept moving relentlessly towards the fleet. The Renegade could now see its shape, lit only by laser fire, as being something like a large serpent, its skin constantly shifting and altering, as though it were made of gas.

And at the front, an unmistakable mouth was opening.

The Renegade could only watch as it tore through the fleet, ships either being obliterated or swallowed by the maw of the form. At the center, the command ship of Davros was helpess as the creature engulfed it, things resembling teeth smashing into the hull. The ship was taken in, and the rest of the fleet either scattered, or followed. The Renegade finally shook his head and moved into action, passing the soldiers and moving back into the station. They followed at a run, and they reached the Tardis in a matter of minutes. He burst into motion around the console, setting a return course for Elysium 18-T.

One of the soldiers looked up at him, still panting from the run. "What _was _that thing?"

Another glanced over at him. "Some spawn of the Vauron forges? It wouldn't be the first to attack the station."

The Renegade shook his head. "It destroyed an entire Dalek fleet. This is something new."

How words were met with an uneasy silence.

The Commander wiped his brow, staring intently at the terminal in front of him when the Renegade entered the room.

"I'm guessing you've seen our new friend?" he said as a greeting.

"Couldn't really miss it. What is that thing?"

The commander gestured at the terminal. "We're reading colossal psionic readings, and can track its course as originating several systems away. Beyond that is anyone's guess."

The Renegade frowned. "Psionic? For something that large... it'd have needed-"

"The entire population of Tarthrus." A time lord several consoles away interrupted. "That thing out there came from that sector, and we're getting reports that Tarthrus was destroyed several months ago. It was thought to be a Nestene attack. Looks like it was something else."

"The Destitude colonies." The commander spoke vehemently.

"More to the point," The Renegade said, "how can we stop it?"

"Sir!" Another Time Lord shouted. "Initial barrage was unsuccessful, it's still coming!"

"If that thing reaches this station, we won't stand a chance." The Commander said hoarsely. "It could destroy the entire defence in minutes."

"How far out is it?" The Renegade questioned.

"Only a few clicks, should reach us in approximately 7 hours." The Commander sighed. "But even with our level of firepower we can barely tickle it."

"Second barrage, unsuccessful!" An officer shouted.

An idea sparked in the Renegade's mind. "Elysium 9-Ω."

The Commander looked at him in surprise. "You think it could help?"

"Worth a try. There has to be something there that can help."

The Commander nodded, thinking intently. "I'll send a squad to meet you by your transport, we'll need you out there as soon as possible."

The Renegade was already in movement.

The squad in question was comprised of 6 soldiers, their more elaborate armour, with a colour scheme of red and silver indicating their elite rank. They were gathered around the Tardis, their schism rifles tucked lazily under their arms.

"Sir!" One jumped to attention upon seeing the Renegade striding towards them. He nodded back as he moved past them into his Tardis. They followed at a march, their calm demeanour evident.

"What's our objective?" One questioned. The Renegade looked up at her as he moved around the console. "Elysium 9-Ω was a military storage site before it was hit by extensive orbital bombardment. Most of the base was destroyed, but if anything can take out that beast heading towards the station, it'll be there." He nodded the final word firmly.

The soldiers nodded their understanding, and the Tardis shook into movement.

The Tardis materialised just outside the ruined facility. The door opened and the first soldier stepped slowly out. The Renegade brushed past him and stood observing the structure in front of him.

"We need to move quickly. There wasn't time for reconnaissance, so we're essentially going in blind. Keep your eyes open." With that he moved forwards.

They entered by the ruin of a door, its structure bent and twisted. Scanning the hallway ahead of him, the Renegade levelled his schism rifle and moved forwards.

They journeyed through the ruins in silence, only occasionally stopping to investigate potential weapons. But the old station seemed to be completely devoid of anything operational.

As they continued, the Renegade caught sight of a branching hallway leading down a separate route. He motioned two of the soldiers to take that route, and the rest to move forwards. They carried out the orders and he lead the bulk of the group down into a large cavernous room. In the centre was a terminal jutting out from a large holographic table. He tentatively tried to activate the terminal only to discover to his surprise that it was still operational. He accessed the data logs and glanced up at the holographic device, which was now displaying a catalogue of the weaponry stored in the station.

Sighing at the multitude of entries, he began searching.

Castan moved slowly forwards. Glancing back, he saw Niveene shadowing his footsteps. He nodded to her and turned back ahead. The ruined station was silent apart from their boots clanging on the metallic floor, and the incessant noise of the flickering lighting, which was now severely testing Castan's patience.

_Thud thud, thud thud. _

Castan examined the signs as he passed them, the swirls of his peoples language telling him that this section of the base had mostly been dedicated to culinary storage.

_Hardly destructive weaponry_, he thought irritably.

_Thud thud, thud thud._

They took a left, and he looked down the hall. This section of the station seemed even more damaged, having presumably taken a more severe beating than the rest of the station.

_Thud, thud._

He ducked under an arch, the metal warped by orbital fire until it covered half of the hall. He straightened up and shifted his grip on his schism rifle.

_Thud, thud._

He sighed to himself as more signs relating to minor weaponry storage passed him by, hoping that eventually-

Wait.

He'd missed something.

And then a chill raked through his body as he realised.

_There was only one set of footsteps._

He turned around slowly, looking at the hallway behind him.

And the group of stone angels inhabiting it.

Finally, the Renegade saw something of promise.

"Come look at this."

A soldier moved to stand next to him, and squinted at the holographic display before them.

"A temporal rift device?"

The Renegade nodded, a smile beginning to form on his weary face. "If that device was activated in the vicinity of the creature it could create a vortex opening capable of absorbing the entire thing."

"Which would do what exactly?" The Time lord asked sceptically.

The Renegade ran his hand through his hair. "If I'm right? Destroy it. No creature could survive direct exposure to the time winds in that concentration. It would tear it to pieces, deposit the remains throughout all of time and space."

The soldier was now nodding, apparently impressed. "That could actually work. Where is it?"

The Renegade examined the holographic display. "Not far from here, actually. It's right next to-" He tailed off, staring with growing horror. "Oh my God."

"What?" The Time Lord inquired, apparently unfamiliar with the phrase.

"We have to get out of here."

They passed down the hallway at a sprint, moving as fast as possible towards the storage of the rift device. He rounded a corner, the four soldiers right behind him. One of them was trying to contact the other two, but their radio silence was ominous.

_There was no way I could've known, _the Renegade told himself. And yet he felt no comfort from it. However he looked at it, he'd sent two Time Lords to their deaths.

A few mere minutes later, they reached the storage room.

"Careful," he cautioned. "They could be anywhere around here."

"Who could?" A soldier panted.

If the Renegade heard, he made no obvious response as he looked around, eventually settling for:

"If you see them, whatever you do, do _not _blink."

The soldiers exchanged looks, wondering what the aged Time lord meant. Suddenly one of them glanced down a side hall, only to do a double take in shock.

"Doctor!"

The Renegade winced at the mention of his discarded name, but moved over to the Time lord. He looked down the hall, before stiffening in shock. "Keep looking at it. For the love of Rassilon, keep it in your eyesight." Down the hall, shadowed slightly by the flickering lights, stood a stone statue of an angel.

"What is it?" Another soldier, still searching for the rift device, asked.

"A weeping angel." The Renegade responded. "Stone creatures only whilst you look at them. Look away, and they move like lightning. They kill by sending their prey back in time, and harvesting the potential temporal energy, But in the distorted state of time around here, you'll most likely just be eviscerated."

The soldier staring at the form took a step back.

Several seconds passed.

"Another one!" Another soldier shouted, pointing down another hall. He levelled his schism rifle and opened fire, rounds illuminating the angel as they blasted into the statue.

"Stop!" The Renegade yelled, knocking his rifle away. They both looked down the hall to see the angel, completely undamaged by the schism blasts.

"Keep your eye on it." The Renegade warned.

After several more seconds, another Time Lord jumped.

"I've found it!" He held in his hand a surprisingly small cylinder, roughly half a metre long, rounded at the edges. It was silver in colouration, red rings encircling either end just in from the rounded ends. The Renegade examined the object before nodding. "Let's get it out of here."

A gasp made them look round. The soldier watching the first angel had finally relented, as the stone form was now inches from him, its fingers extended, ending in talons. Its face was now warped into a scream, its mouth displaying sharp fangs. Its blank grey eyes were boring unadulterated hate into the Time lord in front of it. On cue, the other soldier let out a similar exclamation as he also blinked, giving the weeping angel he was watching several metres purchase.

"Both exits blocked, and more of them are most likely littering the hallways." The other soldier said in fear. He looked at the Renegade. "If anything of what they say about you is true, an escape plan would be _really _helpful right now."

The Renegade surveyed the scene before him, thinking desperately. The two Time lords watching the angels were backing up towards the rest of the group, the other two helping them alternate blinks. Finally, an idea came to him. He levelled his schism rifle, took a deep breath - and fired.


	3. Chapter 3

●Chapter 3●

The Ceiling exploded.

Fragments of bronze metal rained down, causing the soldiers underneath to leap aside, their heads turning sharply upwards as the roof caved in. The Time Lords who had previously been watching the statues stared at the hole above them, before looking down with a start only to find the angels still glaring at them, their mouths contorted into a scream.

"In your own time!" The Renegade called, the only one who'd kept his eyes on the approaching statues.

The soldiers clambered over the rubble in a hurry, one detaching a device from his crimson armour and setting it on the ground. The air above it started to shimmer as gravity warped above it. The Renegade, assisted by a few of the soldiers in staring at the weeping angels, moved towards the device as the first couple of Time Lords stepped into it and were propelled up and out of the building. The Renegade was last, never taking his eyes of the stone forms; still standing with talons extended staring hateful at the air as he was propelled up.

The five Gallifreyans moved at a jog towards the Tardis, standing a short distance away. Although the Renegade kept checking the crater they'd emerged from nothing emerged; evidently the angels were struggling to operate the device or find another way out.

They reached the battered police box and moved inside in single file. The Renegade moved swiftly to the console and started setting a course for Elysium 18-T. One of the soldiers turned and wearily leant against one of the coral-esque pillars. He turned over the rift device in his hands. "How do we use this?" he asked, looking up at the Renegade.

"It's designed to be fired into space for remote activation," He replied, not looking up from the controls. "18-T doesn't have the firing capabilities, but we can launch it from here. As for the activation, it should only take a line of didactic code from the station to activate it."

He pulled a lever next to him, and the room shuddered into motion.

X

The creature that telepathic scans had termed the Nightmare Child continued its approach, space itself bending around its serpent-like form. The chrono-barrier stretched out before it, curving around the constellation in a yellow, transparent sphere. Above its surface was suspended the sea of asteroids and planetoids, and from the largest one came wave after wave of battle Tardises, as Elysium 18-T tried to defend itself from the approach.

The Tardis materialised, the oxygen shield activating as the door swung inwards and the Renegade stared out into the vacuum.

"It's too close," he muttered hoarsely. "Faster than I thought."

The four soldiers stood behind him. "The rift. It'll encompass the station."

The Renegade dragged his hands wearily down his face. "I doubt it, but the shockwave given off will destabilise the chrono-barrier." He turned to look back at the soldiers.

"They'll be able to get into Kasterborous."

X

The Commander stared over the rows of terminals in front of him, to the holographic map in the centre of the command centre. He looked sharply up as a blip appeared on the communications display. "Dartja, what is that?"

The Gallifreyan squinted at his terminal. "Signal, from out of orbit. Type 40 Tardis. Reads as friendly but – rogue?" He looked up at the Commander. "It's the Doctor."

The Commander nodded. "Open the channel."

"We have a Temporal rift device," The Renegade's voice came out slightly garbled over the channel. "Mark 12. We can activate it near the creature; let the vortex tear it to pieces."

The Commander frowned. "With a creature that size? The aftershocks will obliterate the gate. Gallifrey will be defencless."

"Not defenceless. The stations will still be operational. We'll lose a step, but that's the price we're going to need to pay to stop this."

The Commander paused, his mind speeding. Dartja and the other Gallifreyans at the terminals turned to look at him. Silence hung in the air.

"Yes." He whispered. "Yes it is." He looked up through the glass ceiling, to where the Nightmare Child continued like a dark shadow. "Kill it."

The communication ended.

X

The sky opened, splitting open as the time vortex spilled out like an explosion. The Nightmare Child let out a roar that was heard across the galaxy as it was encompassed by the vortex. The split sealed as the shockwave shot towards the Gates of Elysium, a small police box dematerialising as it tore past it.

The grey wave hit the station, cracks rippling over the asteroid as Elysium 18-T shook under the force. The sphere shimmered as the wave blasted into it, before dissolving to nothing.

Finally, the shaking stopped as the wave disintegrated and the lights faded.

The Nightmare Child was gone.

X

"Congratulations."

The Renegade turned to see the Commander standing next to him. He nodded to him before turning back to gaze into space.

"We received word from the High council. They're not happy about the loss of the Gate, but they've accepted it as a necessary loss."

The Renegade nodded again. "I just wish there had been another way." He sighed and looked down.

The Commander shrugged. "Not a bad net score though. An entire Dalek fleet gone and that _thing_ sucked into the time vortex."

The Renegade turned slightly. "I've been thinking about that. The creature was made of pure psychic energy, the final creation of the destitude colonies. That much psychic energy, deposited into the time vortex…"

"What is it?" The Commander asked.

"I think maybe we created nightmares." The Renegade sighed. "Dark psychic energy sent throughout all time? Had to end up somewhere." He smiled sadly. "The Nightmare child."

The Commander shifted. "I doubt we'll ever know." He said. "But at least accept the victory. You did a great thing today, Doctor."

The Renegade winced. "Perhaps. Or maybe I'm just delaying the inevitable." He looked up out through the glass again. "This war seems more helpless every day."

"We have to have hope." The Commander sighed. "Well. I need to get to the command centre. Good day to you, Doctor." He turned on his heel and walked briskly away.

The Renegade turned back to the window, and continued to stare out into the darkness.

"No more."

_The End._


End file.
